The Kitten Hunt Begins at Midnight
by scubarang
Summary: Gregory needs help with his Charms. Will Draco's first ever good deed change him more than he thought possible? And why does the little Gryffindor girl keep calling him Little One? D/G One-shot


A/N: This was written in response to a prompt in a challenge at the DG Forum. I was not the assigned writer in the challenge. Starlit Skyes did a wonderful job with her Meowing for Justice story in response to the prompt. I mistakenly thought it was my story though and I got to writing. I was half way through before I realized that I was writing for the wrong prompt. Boogum (Kim) has been asking me for a story with no smut and I thought what better than the half written story that I had such fun writing before.

So Happy Birthday Kim. Here's your smut free story and I think I did pretty well at following your prompt as well. Enjoy.

A big shout out to Aerileigh, my beta, who took time out of her _extremely_ busy schedule to help get this done in time for Kim's birthday. You're the best.

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Standard disclaimer applies.

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Gregory Goyle had a problem. Well, truthfully speaking, Goyle, as most people called him, had many problems. But his current and seemingly most devastating problem was his poor score in Charms. Professor Flitwick had called him to chambers earlier and informed him that if he couldn't get his marks up, his N.E.W.T.s would suffer.

Strolling through the damp, cold corridors of the dungeon, the bulky teen ruminated on how he had gotten himself into this predicament. He recalled that back in his first year, one Draco Malfoy had taken him under his wing and given him a place in the supposedly glamorous life of a Slytherin. But for Gregory, this life that he had been told to embrace held nothing for him.

Draco used him and Vincent unabashedly as his bodyguards and thugs. For his first year, this satisfied Goyle, and he thought that he could do no better than this position. He might not be part of the upper echelon of Slytherin House, but at least he had a role, and a friend who was one of the important people.

The muscular boy did consider Draco a friend, for as much as Draco abused and tormented him, he also did things for him. He always shared his mother's sweets, he invited him over for holidays when there was no Golden Trio to antagonize, and he often told him secrets about others, because Draco knew that above all, Gregory Goyle could keep a secret. Many a night, Draco would tell Goyle about something he had caught Zabini doing with some slag, or which girl the Slytherin Prince was considering to bless with his attention for the week.

In his second year, when everyone else was looking for the Heir of Slytherin, Gregory began to search for his purpose in life. He knew his job as bodyguard would end upon graduation, and he wanted more from life. He was a Slytherin, after all, and he had ambitions. He began to study diligently and to pay attention to where his talents lay. He was surprised and elated to find that by studying, he could actually secure high marks. Being the cunning Slytherin that he was, he kept this discovery to himself. Everyone thought him a bumbling oaf with only muscles for brains, and that façade worked to his advantage.

Coming upon the wall that opened into the Slytherin Common Room, he spoke the password and entered the sumptuous place that had been his second home for the last seven years. Glancing quickly around and assessing the situation, he saw Pansy attempting to win Draco's affections back _again_. Vincent was playing chess with some third year and losing miserably, and Blaise was eating the face of a random fifth year girl. All was right in the world, and his previous tension over his Charms failure was relieved a little.

Goyle nodded his head in greeting to Draco but didn't bother with Blaise or Crabbe, who were both caught up trying to win games that would never be won; Crabbe was absolute crap at strategy, and girls usually only tolerated Blaise because they thought he might be an in for them with Draco. Chuckling over this, Goyle thought about how the girls never caught on that Draco never touched what Blaise had already handled, and Blaise happily went along, since he never had to do much work to secure the cunning, yet not very bright, bints.

As he headed up to the seventh year dorms, he heard Draco make his getaway.

"Sorry, Pans. Goyle needs a little tutoring for his Potions essay, and I promised I'd help the poor blighter."

Goyle could picture the scene now: Pansy's mouth was trying to pout and lure Draco back, but Draco's eyes were bright with the relief of getting out of her clutches again. However, Draco's words had given Goyle an idea; he needed a tutor. But where to get one at this late date? And who would want to help the dumb-as-rocks Slytherin?

Hearing Draco enter the dorm, he turned to his friend with a smirk on his face.

"So, I need a little help in Potions, do I?"

"Decidedly not, but I definitely need help in getting that bulldog to understand that we were over in fourth year. No matter what I do, she can't get over me. I wait for the day some poor sod actually marries her, and after discovering what a harpy she really is, they'll be trapped for life with a clinging, soul-sucking monster."

Goyle laughed over Draco's dramatics, but he knew that what the blond said was the truth. Once Pansy locked her jaws on a man, cutting off the affected limb didn't seem like a bad alternative.

"So Malfoy, if I find a way to rid you of Pansy once and for all, will you help me with a problem?"

A finely chiseled brow rose in query towards the dark haired boy, and the negotiations began.

"You really think you're up to the task, Goyle? That's a wily beast you're willing to take on so casually. You must be in real trouble. But as you brought it up, let's hear what you've got to offer me."

"I'll get Pansy off your back for good; you let me worry about how I'll get that done. I need tutoring in Charms. If I can't get at least an E on my N.E.W.T.s, my scores will be too low to get into Weasley's Wizarding Wrestling Management University."

Not actually being totally heartless, and getting rather desperate to finally be rid of Pansy, Draco carefully considered the proposition. He knew he needed something to ensure he got what he wanted no matter what. If Goyle couldn't come through, and he had his doubts, he needed to have the leech gone.

He was tired of sifting through the girls of Hogwarts to find those whom Blaise had not already plundered but were still worth looking into. He was too choosy for his own good, and even he sometimes felt the need for female companionship. But she had to be beautiful, intelligent, sexy, independent, pure-blood, untouched by the majority of the male population… oh, bollocks, he might never find this girl.

Draco knew that if he couldn't get rid of Pansy, he would never get the chance to look. She followed him everywhere. He sometimes suspected she was in the boys' loo when he would hear an odd noise from a stall. Shuddering at the extent of her obsession, he knew he had to take his chances on Greg's ability to pull it off.

"Okay Goyle, you get Pansy off my shadow permanently, and I will tutor you in Charms. I never have understood why you can't get them right. You do fine in Transfiguration, so your wandwork is up to par. Perhaps it's your pronunciation. No matter, I can teach you whatever you need. There's no doubt about that."

Realising the time, Draco looked around the empty room. "We'll start this tonight. Meet me in the abandoned Charms room on the third floor at eight. Let's go get some dinner now. I'm starving."

Grunting his approval in his typical fashion, Goyle followed Draco off to the Great Hall.

X

After an hour of helping his old friend out, Draco was ready to embrace Pansy with open arms and propose marriage.

"Mate, don't grunt when you say the charm. It's throwing the whole thing off. Your last _Wingardium Leviosa _almost took off my head. And it was only a quill."

Draco was doing his best to not hex the struggling troll. He had long ago stopped thinking of Goyle as stupid, but the boy just wasn't getting it, and Draco was ready to give up.

"Try taking a deep breath before you say the charm so that you don't push it out. Let the words flow off your tongue. If you can transfigure a pixie into a Nimbus, then surely you can do this simple charm."

"But I can do that because I _want_ the bugger to be a broom. I can see it in my head and it just happens, Draco. I don't know how to see what I want when I do Charms."

Contemplating how they might get around this problem, Draco absently ran his fingers through his hair. Turning his back on Goyle, he walked toward the window.

Gazing thoughtfully into the night sky, Draco began to speak in lilting and dulcet tones, unknowingly entrancing his student with his almost lyrical questioning.

"Try a charm where you can see what you want. Can you picture the quill hovering above your head? Can you picture it being light and airy and floating away from you?"

As Draco spoke, Greg felt himself becoming lightheaded, and his vision started to blur. Draco's voice was slowly sounding farther and farther away. He shook his head, trying to keep his concentration on the spells.

"Think about how you do it in Transfiguration and apply the same concentration to your charm. If you could turn McGonagall into a desk, and Crabbe into a cat, then you should be able to make a quill float in the air." Draco's voice gained some force as he attempted to make his friend understand. "Now try to do it, Goyle."

Unfortunately for our Slytherin Prince, and his first attempt at trying to be helpful, Gregory only heard bits and pieces of the speech, so by the time the 'do it' phrase left his mouth, Goyle was thinking of Transfigured cats and flying quills and leftover treacle tart from dinner.

The next thing the blond knew, he was against the opposite wall, trying to catch his breath, and having a hard time figuring out just what happened.

"Malfoy? Oi, where'd you go mate? I thought you were helping me?"

Draco could hear the boy, but seemed unable to reply immediately. He was still quite breathless and felt rather weighed down, as if he'd wrapped himself in his heavy winter cloak. Gently moving his limbs to check for serious injuries, he became aware of an odd sensation above his bum. Twisting his head trying to get his bearings, he winced at the feeling of his neck pinching, and couldn't help but give a small groan of pain.

"Mrwrf."

"Draco, that you mate?"

Suddenly Goyle was right above him. And he was large. Like an actual Troll, large. Draco couldn't help but jerk back from his intimidating form in surprise.

"Aww, what a cute little pitty tatt. Hey, Malfoy, I didn't know you had a familiar. When did you get him?"

Now the giant Mountain Troll was reaching for Draco, and he attempted to scramble away from the meaty fist headed his way.

"Oh, don't be scared kitty, I like little kitties. Here kitty-kitty."

If Draco hadn't already been scared witless by the giant Slytherin, he would definitely have been terrified of the same boy speaking to him in baby talk. What was he talking about, and why was he calling him kitty?

Finally looking down at the limbs he had stretched a moment ago, he saw four white paws with finely cut nails and pink little pads. Merlin's gouty big toe, he was a cat!

Temporarily losing interest in the pristinely white kitten with longish silky fur, Goyle stood up and looked around the room again.

"Okay, Malfoy, joke's over now. I have a feather to float and I'm hungry again. Let's go to the kitchens on the way back to the Common Room."

With no reply from his tutor, Goyle swiftly bent down, hoisted the kitten to his chest, and made his way out of the classroom.

"You sure are a cute little kitty. Don't know how you ended up with Malfoy."

Snickering at his own joke, he jumped a little as the kitten gave a good scratch to his left hand.

"Hey now, none of that, little kitty. I promise to get you some tuna if you promise not to scratch me anymore. I have sensitive skin, and mum always gets mad when I come home with a rash."

Shuddering at the excess of unwanted information coming from his friend, Draco decided it was in his best interest not to scratch him anymore. He resigned himself to the fact that huge arms trapped him for the moment, and he would have to wait for an opportunity to get free and try to find someone to help him out.

He stiffened at the thought that he had no way to tell anyone that he was Draco. Even Goyle, who had been in the room when it happened, had no clue that his friend was now in a kitten's body. With the realization that Greg was not the brightest candle in the castle, he relaxed and thought of who he might go to for help.

Besides, a nice bowl of warm cream would hit the spot right about now.

X

"Professor Snape, I found a little kitty on the third floor, can I keep him?"

Severus Snape slowly lifted his head from the parchments he had been correcting, welcoming any distraction from the third year Gryffindor essays on Grindylow tentacles.

He had just read the twelfth essay explaining that the tentacles were helpful in relieving gas if you suctioned them onto your forehead, and he guessed that some Slytherin had sold 'the goods' to these fools, and that they all shared the information amongst themselves.

Sometimes, he thought, his house was _too_ brilliant in their attempts to sabotage the other houses. But it did provide him the wonderful opportunity to deduct lots of points and give copious detentions to the silly, noble fools.

Sighing, he looked at Gregory Goyle, one of his secretly favourite students. He was brilliant in Potions and kept his gob shut about it. Snape couldn't wait to announce the results of his N.E.W.T.s and reveal that Goyle's scores topped that obnoxious Granger's scores. He'd waited years to reveal what Greg had asked him to conceal six years ago.

Seeing a bright, white, fluffy and squirming mass in Goyle's arms, he sighed again, wondering where this fiasco would lead, and knowing that trouble would surely ensue from this seemingly innocent situation.

"Isn't he cute, Professor Snape? And I already trained him not to scratch me. Ouch."

Rubbing his large hand, he looked sheepishly at his Head of House.

"Well, I'm working on it. So can I keep him?"

"Gregory, have you ascertained that he does not belong to another student yet? Surely someone must be looking for the handsome little fellow."

Draco was starting to tire of all of this. Goyle didn't let him nap after his cream, and he was getting cranky. And he was tired of being referred to as 'cute'. Surely they could see he was of the highest breeding and could be nothing less than breathtakingly beautiful? At least Snape called him handsome.

Wait, Snape called him handsome?

"Mrowrrr! Pfft. Mrooowr."

There, now surely they'd see that he meant business. He wanted out of this suit of fur and he wanted out _now_. And he wanted out of the cage of muscle Goyle was adamant about encasing him in.

"He is quite the eloquent fellow, isn't he Goyle? Let me have a closer look at him. Perhaps there is some sign of where he came from."

Snape held out his long and spindly fingers toward his student, and Goyle reluctantly handed the tiny kitten to his Head of House.

Taking the first opportunity of freedom he had, Draco employed his recently acquired agility and flew out of Goyle's hands, landing on the Professor's desk and quickly jumping to the floor. Heading for the door as fast as he could, his only thought was freedom, sweet freedom from sweaty palms and the smell of old spaghetti that was Goyle. He had promised himself that when this was all over, he would buy the boy some proper cologne that didn't come with an expiration date.

Quickly turning right, he headed up the halls that would lead him out of the Dungeons. Right now, they seemed the most dangerous place in the castle.

"Kitty, come back. I just want to take care of you."

The sweet words coming from his mountainous friend sent shivers up Draco's little spine. He increased his speed, thankful for the power that four limbs gave in a getaway.

"Goyle, it is imperative that we get that little fellow back. I have the feeling that he holds important information and we need to find him. Go to the Common Room, collect Zabini, Nott and Parkinson, and coordinate with me in the Great Hall. We'll reconvene there and form a proper hunting party. And don't let that oaf Crabbe know. He ruins everything."

"Yes, Professor. You can count on me."

Draco heard Goyle turn and return into the Dungeons while Snape sped the opposite way, toward his current position. His cat hearing was quite helpful, and he thought he might try to see if he could find a spell to enhance his senses to the nature of a cat. Once he was no longer a cat, that is.

Turning another corner, he recognized that he was close to the entrance doors and thought that outside might be his safest bet if Snape managed to form an actual hunting party.

X

Shivering a little from the late night chill in the air, Ginny remembered why she didn't like to fly at night in cold weather. Not only was she sure her nose close to freezing off, but also her sweat from her hard workout was close to freezing temperature now that she was no longer pushing herself. Her assessment might have been a little overdramatic, but she allowed herself to indulge since she was still not over the tantrum that had her out flying after curfew in the first place.

She'd broken up with Harry over a month ago, and the git just wouldn't get over it. Luna said it was a matter of wanting what he could no longer have, but that didn't endear him to her anymore than the little gifts he kept giving her. The little box she'd found on her bed tonight had been the latest, and she thought it might be time to give him a good hexing to help get her point across.

Earlier, entering her dorm after dinner, Ginny wanted nothing more than to finish her homework and go to bed. Two of her twittering roommates were glancing her way and giggling. They found it adorable that Harry was chasing after her now. For the last six months, he had treated her as an unwanted appendage that he occasionally noticed but never put to full use. Ginny didn't find any of this entertaining.

Seeing the cream coloured box with the lovely gold ribbon on her bed, she felt a shiver of apprehension run through her. Tapping it with her wand, she found it free of any spells or enchantments. Opening it she found a variety of sumptuous looking chocolates. Looking at the box she saw the Honeydukes name and thought at least he'd had the decency to buy proper chocolates. She settled herself at the desk with her Transfiguration book and placed one of the chocolates in her mouth. It had a lovely strawberry taste and she thought she might give Harry a little rest from her cold treatment towards him.

A moment later Ginny found herself on a tropical island, surrounded by palm trees waving in the ocean breeze. She was tied to one of the palm trees and could see a tribe of what appeared to be wild natives in front of her. Suddenly, there was a triumphant yell from her left, and Harry jumped from the thick underbrush surrounding them, wielding a long sword.

"Surrender, fiends, and release fair maiden from her restraints this instant!"

Rolling her eyes at his drama-queen-worthy entrance, Ginny snapped, "Harry, just cut these ropes and get me off this tree. It's giving me a rash."

"Alas, maiden, I must defeat these miscreants and perform my duty to the Minister."

Realisation hit Ginny, and she spat the chocolate out on the floor of her room.

Turning fiercely to her roommates, she hissed at them, "Who put these daydream candies on my bed?"

Giggling, Clarissa admitted her role. "Harry asked me to. He said you would love the new candy your brothers made for him. It's the new Hero Harry Worship candy. Isn't it divine? He gave all of us a box as well. We've been eating them for the last hour. Did you get the _Castle on Fire_ candy? He takes his shirt off in that one."

Ginny threw the box at the two girls, who, far from being offended, scrambled to keep the chocolates from falling in the floor. She stomped out the door and down the stairs.

As though Harry could smell the smoke and hear the sound of thunder heading his way, Harry did the first smart thing in his life and ran out the door to the Common Room, leaving a trail of students' essays flying in his wake as he passed them in his mad dash to freedom from the assured hexing of his ex-girlfriend.

"Where is he?" Ginny demanded.

Glancing up to see his sister's angry entrance to the Common Room, Ron knew he was on shaky ground and needed to tread carefully.

"Who, Gin?"

"You know damned well that I am looking for the wizard that is about to lose his title as 'the boy-who-lived.'"

Ron gulped. He had _told_ Harry not to do it, but Harry had insisted Ginny would love a box full of Harry daydream goodness. What girl didn't like chocolate, a hero, and a shirtless Harry all in one package? He knew he shouldn't have let Harry do it, but now he had to protect his best mate from this angry beast.

"I, um, think he had detention with Snape. Yeah, with Snape. I'm pretty sure he won't be back for a long time."

Ginny looked around at the rest of the students in the Common Room, but it seemed the Gryffindor courage had left every single one of them, for not one person made eye contact with the irate redhead.

"Fine."

With that one word, she left the portrait hole, and Ron hoped Harry had time to find a proper hiding place. He thought the Chamber of Secrets might be the only place Ginny wouldn't go to find the source of her ire at the moment.

Storming the empty halls of the castle, Ginny tried to reign in her temper. Professor McGonagall had warned her that if she couldn't learn to control her temper she might ruin her chances to play Quidditch professionally. Ginny, not being angry at the time, could see the wisdom of her advice, and had asked for some techniques she might use to do that.

One of them had been to do something she enjoyed in order to distract her mind from its overwhelming anger. So she stomped her way to the entrance doors and ran to the pitch to fly off some of her anger.

Now, hours later, she was physically tired, and while she no longer wanted to hunt Harry down and introduce him to ten inches of deadly wood, she knew that when she actually saw him, she would let him know in no uncertain terms that she wanted nothing to do with him until he could respect her wishes for separation.

As she neared the castle doors, she vaguely hoped that Filch or his mangy cat wouldn't be around so she could get back to her dorm in peace. A small white streak headed straight for her, and as she was caught unaware, she stumbled upon it and fell into the muddy ground beneath her feet.

"Rowwr"

"Omph"

Ginny pulled herself up quickly from the ground to see what had tripped her. Lying stunned at her feet was a brown and white spotted kitten.

All anger instantly forgotten, Ginny knelt down and gently picked up the dazed kitten.

"Oh, poor puss. Are you okay, little one?"

She gently looked the kitten over and decided it had just knocked itself a little silly and was coming about.

"What had you so frightened, love? Was that nasty Mrs. Norris after you?"

Draco's world slowly stopped spinning, and he realised that someone was speaking to him. Worried that Goyle had found him again, he attempted to jump out of the hands that held him, but they pulled him against a soft chest.

Wait, soft chest? Opening his eyes and fully listening to what was being said, he realised he was being hugged by a girl, a girl that smelled of soft flowers, vanilla and sweat. Sweat? What was with this girl? Was it Millicent? Had Snape called on all of the Slytherin seventh years for his hunting party?

"Now, love. Don't jump about so. You might still be hurt. Let me get you inside and have a proper look at you to make sure you're okay."

This was not Millicent, or any Slytherin for that matter. She cared, and wanted to make sure he was okay. It could be some Hufflepuff, and he wasn't so sure he wouldn't prefer to surrender himself to Goyle again at that thought. A Hufflepuff would probably take him and dress him in little dresses, little black and yellow dresses. He couldn't help but shudder at the thought of those girls playing dress up with him.

"Oh, you're shaking. Are you cold? You are a little damp. Maybe you're hungry, huh, little one? I'll have Dobby bring some warm milk and toast for you. That always makes me feel better. And we'll put lots of butter on it, because I know kittens like milk. Or maybe you'd like cheese instead. I'll have him bring it all. I wouldn't mind a tuna sandwich. Maybe you can help me eat it."

The whole time Ginny was babbling, Draco could feel himself getting drowsier and drowsier. It had been an eventful night, and though it wasn't over yet, the swaying motion as she carried him to the castle was lulling him to sleep.

When Ginny reached the kitchen entrance, she saw that the helpless creature was fast asleep, and she tried so hard to be quiet that if he had been less tired, he surely would have woken up from the noise she was making. She asked Dobby for all the things she had thought of earlier, and a few extras that she thought he might enjoy. What creature didn't enjoy pizza?

With a slight bit of regret, she woke the kitten up and encouraged him to eat. She herself was hungrier than she had first thought, and ate almost all the food the elves had brought for them. She giggled at the way the kitten seemed to eat his food daintily, nibbling at his cheese and gently lapping at his milk. He sniffed at the offered pizza but turned his head and took some of the tuna from her sandwich instead.

Draco finished eating first and began to wash his face as the amused girl quickly ended her meal. She picked him up again with little protest from him. Now that he was full, he was feeling sleepy again, and decided that compliance with her determination to carry him the entire time would work in his favour.

As they approached the entrance hall, Ginny heard voices, many voices. Peeking carefully around the corner she saw most of Malfoy's little club gathered around the Potions Master near the doors of the Great Hall. Stepping back quickly before they discovered her, she retraced her steps to find the closest secret passage. It might take her longer to get back since it did not lead anywhere near Gryffindor Tower, but she didn't want to be found by all those Slytherins. Glancing down, she saw that the kitten was again fast asleep. He had the cutest little pink nose, and she couldn't resist giving it a little peck.

Finally arriving at the Fat Lady with no further Slytherin encounters, she entered quietly, hoping that everyone had gone to bed already. It was really late by now, and she was a little jealous of the sweet cat sleeping so peacefully in her arms.

Ginny entered her dorm without waking anyone and set the kitten gently on her scarlet and gold duvet as she prepared for bed and made use of the loo. Once she was back and ready for sleep, she drew the curtains around her bed and moved the kitten so she could get in. She lit her wand and looked more closely at him. What she had thought were brown spots was actually dried mud, and she figured he must have acquired it when they collided. She did a gentle _Scourgify_ on him and thought she would give him a proper bath come morning. _Noxing_ her wand and yawning widely, she settled down to sleep, with the kitten curled next to her, breathing gently.

X

"Yeeowwr. Ffft. Mrowf."

Jumping up suddenly from her bed, Ginny clutched her stinging hand to her chest, looking wildly about to try to figure out where the pain had come from.

A streak of white shot from where she had been lying and jumped to the floor. Last night's events rushed back to her as she watched the little kitten run towards the bathroom door.

Upon reaching the door, the kitten turned to Ginny and gave her a glare. Ginny raised her eyebrows in surprise at the heavily laden look and wondered what he was up to. He turned back to the door and began scratching at it.

"Meowwrrrr!"

She could practically hear the little fellow telling the door to open up. Her sleep-addled brain was still trying to figure out what had made the kitten so upset when he turned back to her again with squinted eyes.

"Rowwr! Fftt, rrowr, yowr!"

Figuring there was no harm in letting him in the loo, and wondering if maybe there was a mouse inside, she got off the bed and opened the door for the little fluffy tyrant.

"Must not be a morning cat," she mumbled under her breath as she watched him search around the room. He turned back to her, and this time there was a piteous look upon his cute little face that almost broke her heart.

"Oh, little one, what is it? What's got you so upset this morning?"

The kitten was practically dancing around now and yowling pathetically.

Suddenly it hit her: he needed the loo. But how had he known what this room was and what the girls used it for? Was he that smart? Maybe he had magical abilities of some sort. She knew he couldn't go to toilet like she did, so she thought about how she could help him in his time of need.

"We're too high up for me to take you outside, love, so I'll have to bring it to you." Ginny was thankful for her excellent skills in Transfiguration as she changed a bar of soap into a rather large pile of dirt in the corner for him.

The little kitten ran for the pile, then turned to her with a pointed look as he perched on top of it. Dancing again, he gave a sharp "Worwr," and Ginny realized he wanted her to leave. Shaking her head at this little fur covered treasure, she left the room and closed the door behind her so he could have his privacy.

Ginny made her bed and prepared for her shower while the kitten took care of his morning ablutions. After a few minutes, she heard a muffled sound on the other side of the door. She opened the door and the kitten walked regally back into the room, as if he had not been mortifyingly uncomfortable a few minutes before. He walked toward the door to the dorm.

"Oh no, you don't. The girls have already gone down, and I'm late for my shower since I was up so late with you last night. You're going to have to wait for me to clean up a bit."

The kitten sat on his haunches and stared at her with a blank expression. The only sign that he was aware of her at all was the twitch at the end of his tail as she talked.

"Now, you be a good puss. When I'm done, I'm going to give you a proper bath and then we'll go down to the Great Hall and see who you belong to. I don't want to give you back all dirty."

The kittens grey eyes widened at this revelation, and he looked down at himself. Lifting a paw into the air, he looked at his leg, saw the remnants of his mud from the night before, and gave a kittenish yelp.

"Come on, let's get you into the showers with me, and we'll get you all clean in no time."

As the Gryffindor girl closed in on him, Draco jumped into action and ran for the nearest bed to escape her. There was no way he was going to let a Weasley give him a bath. Though he had no doubt they were adept at washing off the dirt they must live in at their shack, he had no intention of letting her get her grubby hands all over his immaculate paws.

Well, soon to be immaculate, if she would just give him a few minutes alone to bathe in the kitten manner he knew instinctively would do the trick, with no water, bubble bath or anything like that involved. And no touching of his kitten parts by the soft, warm girl he had woken curled up on top of this morning.

Shuddering at the thought of how comfortable and content he had felt when he woke up lying next to a Weasley earlier, he lunged under the nearest desk as she cut him off on his way to the bed.

"Now come on puss, aren't we friends now? Didn't I feed you and give you a nice bed to sleep on last night?"

Growling at the hand struggling to reach him, he fought the memory of the bed they shared so sweetly.

"And didn't I get you a lovely pile of dirt this morning?"

Hissing and batting as her hand grew nearer, he was glad his fur hid his embarrassment at remembering how urgently he needed to relieve himself earlier this morning. Really, a gentleman shouldn't be forced to admit such things publicly.

"Okay, Mr. Too Good to Take a Bath, you've forced my hand. I didn't want to do this, but I never showered after flying last night, so I want to wash up, and you need a bath as well. Now I'm going to have to play hard ball."

Ginny wasn't sure what that particular phrase really meant, but she knew that after Hermione used it on Ron, he always ended up doing what she wanted, and usually with a bump on his hard head from one of her heavy tomes.

Draco took a swipe at her hand again with all his claws extended, and just as he was distracted, he heard a whispered "_Petrificus Totalus._" He found himself frozen with his limbs all askew, and vowed to himself that when he was back in his proper body, he would get the little vixen back for her unfair tactics. That was an entirely Slytherin move which he hadn't expected of her, and the 'noble' lioness had caught him off his guard. She would definitely pay for all of her actions today, he thought as she dragged his stiffened body from under the desk.

X

"I know, Hermione, isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen? You should have seen him in the bath earlier. I had to freeze him of course. Poor little guy didn't want a bath. Maybe he likes being dirty or something. Hey, I told you about that scratching, little one." Ginny was clutching his now-clean and extra fluffy body to her soft bosom, and though he was still extremely distraught over the bathing experience, his current situation was certainly helping to soothe his wounded ego.

"Anyway, his little silver eyes were watching me the whole time, and I swear he was giving me the 'evil eye.' Oh, and you'll never guess what he did when he got up today."

Draco cringed and hoped that maybe Weasel King, or Potty, or _anybody_ might come along and distract her from revealing all his humiliations to the general population.

"He ran to the loo and tried to open the door. Then he demanded I leave while he did his business."

The House of Godric Gryffindor would burn to the ground very soon.

"But I guess he didn't take care of it properly, because in the bath he had to make again." Ginny recalled the time the twins caused Percy a wet and embarrassing childhood trauma involving a bowl of warm water and his left hand while he slept. "You know, I guess having your paws in warm water works the same for them as it does for us."

Incinerate. Starting with the female snuggling him to her very pleasant smelling chest. Vanilla and sunflowers…

Shaking his head, Draco forced his mind back to plotting her demise.

Growling and hissing, Draco swiped his paws at Bushy. How dare she giggle and then ask to hold him? He would absolutely _not_ tolerate being passed around like some dolly.

"Sorry, Hermione. He is a bit of a prig sometimes. You should have seen the dirty looks he was giving me when I told him he was dirty and needed a bath. Little one, I _told_ you: No. More. Scratching."

With each emphasized word, she gave him a little pat on his bottom. He found the sensation rather pleasant and settled against her again, content with the thought that she wouldn't hand him over to the Know-It-All.

"You see, then he just acts so sweet, and you want to just kiss him."

Scratching him behind the ears as she said this, Draco felt a rumble emanate from his chest. What was that? Ooh, if she kept rubbing right _there_, he might just decide to stay in this cage of fur. It wasn't so bad being catered to and fawned over, anyway.

"Aww, now he's purring. Aren't you just the sweetest?"

Bending down, Ginny gave a soft kiss to the top of his head.

Closing his eyes, Draco tried to decide if the kissing and touching really did make up for being called cute, sweet and adorable all day long.

"Let's go the kitchens and get some more of that tuna you like so much, huh?"

Oh, yes, Draco decided, he could deal with the fluff.

"But Ginny, shouldn't you find out who he belongs to? He's obviously well taken care of, and has some training."

Stiffening at her words, Draco decided that _she_ would be the first Gryff to burn. He hadn't even gotten his brunch time tuna yet, and Ms. Nose had to try and ruin it.

"I know. I'll speak to McGonagall after we eat."

"Yes, I think speaking to _Professor_ McGonagall is the right thing to do."

"Lighten up, 'Mione. Don't be such a stuck-up all the time."

Ginny laughed at the older girl's sour face as she exited the portrait hole, and Draco thought he had just found his new hero. Purring again, he snuggled up as she held him close for the walk to the kitchens.

X

"Ron, stop being such a git. Lots of students bring their familiars to the Great Hall." Ginny was close to exasperation with her older brother. She couldn't figure out why he was having such a problem with her new kitten. "Look, Crookshanks is sitting right next to Hermione, and you haven't said a word."

"Well… that's because the great, orange bugger gives me a fright."

Ginny could hear Crookshanks' rumble of delight from across the table.

"Well, you'd better learn to get used to it, because McGonagall says if he doesn't belong to anyone, then I get to keep him. Oh, puss, I hope no one claims you."

As Ginny scratched him behind his ears again, Draco relaxed from his watching of the Weasel King. He didn't trust the red haired prat any farther than he could throw him.

"I just don't like the looks of him, Ginny. He has shifty eyes."

"He's a kitten, Ronald. Leave off or I'll tell the twins to cut off your Naughty Wizard Daydreams Candy supply."

Draco cringed and looked over to Crookshanks, who looked as if he was ready to retch up a furball as well.

"No need to hit a bloke where it hurts, Ginny, I'm just saying that something isn't right about him. And why is Goyle coming over here? What does that slimy snake want?"

As one, the trio turned to watch the Slytherin cross the hall toward their table. Meanwhile, Draco was scrambling to get away, remembering the kitten hunt launched the night before.

"Shhh, it's okay little one, I won't let the evil troll get you."

Growling low in his throat, Draco tried to get Ginny to let him run, but she wasn't having it.

"That's my kitty."

Goyle's statement momentarily stunned the group of Gryffindors as they stared at him with open mouths. Those were the most coherent words they had ever heard coming from his mouth.

"That's my kitty-kitty."

Ginny's grip had unconsciously tightened on Draco. There was no way such a smart cat belonged to the rock formation standing in front of her.

"Can I have my kitty back?"

Just then, the Gryffindor silence had reached maximum capacity, causing Ron to blurt out, "Says who? I never saw you with a cat before. Prove it."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at her brother; evidently, the cat was okay to defend if he didn't want a Slytherin to have possession of it.

"He's my kitty. I got him last night."

"So did Ginny. I don't think he's yours at all. I think you just want to take this sweet little guy away from my baby sister, and I won't have it!"

Ginny rolled her eyes at Ron. _Now_ the kitten was sweet. She was just getting ready to speak to Goyle when said boy reached his limit of toleration for Ron's accusations.

Pulling out his wand quicker than any of the Gryffindors thought possible, Goyle called out "_Accio kitty"_ before they realized what was happening.

Ginny's motherly instincts kicked in at full force at the sight of her little one flying toward the Slytherin boy, and she countered his spell with a sharp cry of "_Finite Incantatem."_

Suddenly the kitten seemed to be exploding in mid-air. The entire hall went silent at the sudden confrontation and the equally sudden appearance of Draco Malfoy where a cute, little, fluffy kitten had just been snuggling next to Ginny Weasley.

Ginny and the other Gryffindors gasped, and Draco groaned. He had landed with a hard thump on his bum on the stone floor, proving that only cats always land on their feet.

Looking at the unusually rumpled blond, all of the recent events passed through Ginny's and Draco's minds simultaneously.

"You saw me in the shower."

Ginny could feel the hot flush of embarrassment wash over her face and neck.

"You washed my kitten bits. Thoroughly."

Hermione's sharp gasp told Ginny that everyone was listening to the conversation between herself and the gorgeous blond.

"You snuggled with me in bed."

"You hugged me to your chest."

Draco's smirk held a hint of mirth that Ginny saw in his eyes as well.

"You purred when I touched you."

"You touched me in all the right places."

Draco realized that she really had known just how to touch him to please and comfort but not smother and make him feel like a kept animal.

"You're making me blush."

As he looked at her, he saw that she was indeed a lovely shade of dark pink that faded as it went down her long, graceful neck and was concealed by her uniform blouse.

"You're making me want to be a cute little kitten again."

Giving the red head an exaggerated wink, he rose from the floor of the Great Hall and brushed himself off as best he could.

"You want to go eat in the kitchens?"

"You want to let me lick cream off your fingers again?"

Ginny met his intense, silvery gaze and kept eye contact as she briefly considered his last question. A moment later, she recalled how sweet and even funny he had been while trapped in a kitten's body.

"I think that can be arranged."

As the unlikely pair walked off hand in hand, two desperately whiny voices could be heard from the Gryffindor table.

"I want my kitty."

"I think I just made sick in my mouth."

_Thump_.

"Shut it, Ronald."

~*~

Three months later at the ceremony for the graduating students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Ginny watched as Draco crossed the stage as gracefully as a cat would. So much had changed at Hogwarts due to Goyle's little accident that fateful night, and Ginny believed most of it was for the better. Of course, some of the developments had been odd and even disturbing, but it was truly wonderful to see so many of the students from different houses so happy now.

The younger girl looked at the students already seated on the stage and saw a grinning Gregory Goyle. He had started working out and looked rather fit these days. Of course, it was all for his girlfriend of two months, Millicent Bulstrode, who had captured his heart the moment that she grappled him to the ground and clinched him in a takedown position of epic proportions. He had never dreamed that teasing a girl about her size could cause such bliss and provide him with an excellent partner for working out.

Just to his left was the extremely disgruntled, bushy-haired, smartest-witch-of-her-time, who was no longer eligible to claim that title. Not only had Goyle outclassed her in Potions _and_ Transfigurations, but Ginny's boyfriend had scored higher on his Charms N.E.W.T.s than anyone else in their class. Needless to say, Ginny knew Ron would have a busy summer giving the angry witch foot rubs and running to fulfill her every wish in order to keep Hermione from being totally unbearable.

Watching as Pansy took her seat and Harry crossed the stage, she cringed inwardly as she simultaneously grinned to herself about how that situation had cleared itself up for her and Draco.

Pansy had been moaning around the Slytherin Common Room for weeks after Draco had officially asked Ginny to be his girlfriend. Goyle had been racking his brains how to get her off Draco's scent, but it was looking dark. She had entered the dangerous denial stage and was actively searching for anyone that would help her to break them up.

But before Greg could plan just how the hell he was going to keep Pansy from stalking Draco, a little blonde angel had come along and had done all the work.

Astoria Greengrass had liked Draco since her first year, but he had never given her the time of day. She was also distraught that Draco had serious affections for the horrid and tacky Gryffindor, but listening to Pansy wail and scheme for weeks had driven Astoria over the edge.

Pansy started to receive little gifts and missives from a secret admirer. One day it might be a single rose, the next day, chocolates, or test answers, or sexy lingerie. The pug-nosed girl soon realized that whoever this was thought more of her that Draco ever had, and she slowly stopped her moaning and planning, and just whined that she wanted to know who was so in love with her.

One day she received a box of Honeydukes' finest chocolates and refused to share with any of the other girls. She sat on the couch in front of the fire reading a trashy romance novel and randomly popping chocolates into her greedy jaws.

Suddenly, her eyes glazed over. Astoria silently snickered to herself as the Common Room watched as Pansy began to drool, softly moan, and whimper. After a few minutes, her eyes cleared and she looked around the Common Room in total confusion mixed with just a touch of fear. She jumped off the couch, gathered her sweets and her book, and ran for her room. Nobody saw her until the next morning, when she still seemed a little dazed and confused.

The whole school watched as she walked up to the Gryffindor table at breakfast and confronted Harry Potter with his stalking and teasing. Totally clueless, Harry did the second smart thing in his life and kept his mouth shut as she ranted at him.

In the end, Pansy grabbed his face and snogged the breath out of him, and in his dizzy state, he agreed to her proposition of betrothal.

Only a few days later, Harry realized that Pansy thought he had been wooing her for weeks, and when the admirer sent the daydream candy in which Harry saved her from a burning castle while wearing no shirt and only snug, ripped leather pants, she had figured out he was 'The One,' and decided to end his troubles. Not wanting to risk denying a witch her fantasies, he never told Pansy that he had no clue as to who had been doing all of those things for her.

Neither Pansy nor Harry ever noticed the way that Astoria did her best to conceal her elated grin when she saw them together.

Ginny turned her head back to look at Draco. As her thoughts turned despairingly to her last year, which would be void of Draco, she looked up at him and found him staring straight at her. She blushed at his attention and gave a coy smile. He smirked at her and turned his head to watch Dumbledore approach the center of the stage.

Ginny watched Draco and tried to figure out why he was so happy with himself. She tuned back in to the Headmaster's speech just in time to hear him announce that Mr. Draco Malfoy would join the staff next year as the Charms Apprentice.

Ginny's gaze shot to Draco, and he was again staring straight at her. This time he gave an exaggerated wink and Ginny sighed. She knew that she was done for.

The Charms Apprentice, soon to be Master, had charmed his way straight into her heart.

* * *

**Boogum's Prompt **

**Basic outline: **Goyle is practising his spells and accidentally transforms Draco Malfoy into a kitten. Too stupid to solve the problem himself, and with Draco quite incapable of changing back with only furry paws and the ability to say "Meow" to help him, Goyle runs off to Snape to remedy his mistake. Ginny discovers the kitten and, in true Weasley fashion, takes the indignant animal/boy under her wing.

**Must haves:** Lots of humour. Draco trying to escape his 'friendly benefactor'. Ginny giving kitten!Draco a bath.

**No-no's: **No character deaths, no angst, and no OOC characters. Even if this is leaning towards a crack!fic, I still want everyone to resemble their canon counterparts as much as possible. Again, I would prefer if the language is kept 'clean'.

**Rating range:** No higher than T.

**Bonus points: **If Goyle and Snape go 'kitten hunting'.


End file.
